Box Score COSTA MESA, Calif. --- The Pit. It's Vanguard's home gym and it is small, covered in yellow and blue, and one of the toughest places for visiting teams to play in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Its effect was felt by Biola early on in tonight's 68-51 road loss to the No. 13 Vanguard Lions, as the Eagles struggled to make shots early and fell victim to a strong scoring effort by two of the Lions' best.
 
Both teams struggled to get their wheels under them early on, with the two sides combining to go 0-for-5 from the floor through the first minute and a half.
 
DeMoria White, starting her first game since Nov. 15, who got the scoring started with a jumper in the paint to put Biola ahead 2-0.

That lead lasted 20 seconds, and it was the only time Biola had an advantage of more than one point throughout the remainder of the game. It was a three-point shot from Samantha Doucette that put Vanguard in the driver's seat, and she didn't stop after making just one shot.
 
The Lions' 5-foot-11-inch junior carved up the Eagles' defense throughout the night, finishing with 25 of Vanguard's points on a 12-of-21 shooting performance.
 
The Lions utilized Doucette and the three-pointer to build a lead in the first half while the Eagles struggled beyond the arc. Vanguard made two of its first three shots from deep, while Biola failed to make a single three-pointer until late in the first half, ending up just 4-of-20 from deep.
 
Doucette and Riley Holsinger made the difference between the two teams as Vanguard built at 13-point lead by halftime. They duo combined for two-thirds of the Lions' points in that half on about 50 percent shooting.
 
The Eagles, conversely, shot just a 29 percent clip with leading scorer, Khadidja Diakite, recording five points in the frame on 2-of-5 shooting.

The second half was much better for the Eagles, carrying some late first half momentum into the new frame. Annie Park scored all of her team-leading nine points in the second 20 minutes, going 3-of-3 from distance.
 
Biola more-than doubled its point output from the first half, scoring 35 points in the second half after being held to just 16 in the first.
 
Vanguard maintained its healthy lead throughout, utilizing extra possessions from its rebounding lead, 38-33, and the Eagles' 16 turnovers. The Lions excelled on the offensive boards, claiming 14 offensive rebounds for 15 second-chance points.
 
Also of note, Dani Kennedy had a chance to go head-to-head with her older sister Maya Kennedy for the first time at the collegiate level. The younger Kennedy had two points and four rebounds, while Vanguard's Kennedy scored four points and doled out six dimes.
 
The Eagles fell to 12-8 (4-2 GSAC) with the loss, while the No. 13 Lions improved to 12-4 (5-2 GSAC).
 
Biola's season schedule continues with a game against Westmont (16-3, 3-3 GSAC) inside of Chase Gymnasium on Tuesday night.